What Cable Cord-Cutting Means For Marketers

More than ever before, traditional cable is becoming less and less prevalent in homes around the world. While many still have some form of the service on their TVs, consumers have been steadily making the shift to on-demand streaming services like Netflix and Hulu and online video sharing sites like YouTube.  Particularly with millennials,  it’s becoming increasingly more common for households to operate completely without cable – relying solely on an internet connection for entertainment that may or may not still be hooked up to larger TV screens and displays. While television can still be a viable advertising channel for some products, services or brands,  this shift will allow others to direct their focus toward online efforts more vigorously. So what are the next things brands should focus their attention on in lieu of television? Here’s just a few!

Focus On Video

While not applicable to services like Netflix (not yet, anyway), YouTube still has plenty of opportunity for advertising. Whether it’s banner ads, video advertising or creating/repurposing video content, this medium is an important one in today’s digital landscape. Consumers are now more visual than ever, so it’s important to cater to this and take advantage of the eyes that already spend a hours browsing sites like YouTube. With mobile viewing sessions lasting around 40 minutes, that’s tons of content consumers are watching each and every day no only from the desktops and laptops, but from their handheld mobile devices and tablets. Having a solid video strategy puts you int he middle the action – but this of course will depend on the type of consumer your brand is looking to appeal to, so keep this in mind

Focus On Apps & Social Media

It’s no secret that much of our mobile time is spent within apps and on social media, so it only makes sense for more brands to focus their marketing efforts on these areas. Think of these as more direct links to your clients or customers, and use them as more than just a channel for your advertising. When your ads appear in the online spaces people frequent the most, it makes it more likely they will interact with them, particularly if they can seamlessly connect to your online profiles without having to leave that respective app. Think of your own profiles as a change to create a unique voice for your brand. Social media gives brands the power to create truly personal research, customer service and shopping experiences by sharing useful content on their own social media

Focus On Content Marketing

Online users are becoming more savvy in the way they choose to interact with ads – being selective in the ones they choose to pay the closest attention to. While users will still be drawn to well-designed ads that are relevant not only to their location but their personal interests. By shifting the focus to creating highly sharable content that’s engaging, informative and entertaining, you take a more direct approach to advertising and make the purchase cycle much more seamless. Consumers are also becoming much more savvy in the way they research the products they buy, finding as much general and comparative information online before making their final decisions. BY creating content about your brand, industry and niche that can help consumers  make a final decision on using your product or service, you make it easier for them to find out why they should. From blog posts, to detailed how to’s and tutorials showing why your brand is the best choice, make the most of information you already have available and expand it into content that can be easily found, easily understood and readily shared.

Television can still be useful for many brands, but it’s important to consider the other ways you can succeed as more people begin to move away from that medium in their everyday lives.